Improvement in breech-loading fire-arms



s. HQWARD. Breach-Loading Fire-15mm. No. 36,779 Patented om 28, 1862.

ihvinn PATENT irren.

SEBEE IIOVARD, OF ELYRIA," OHIO.

IMPROVEIVIENT IN BREECH-LOADING FIRE-ARMS.

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, SERRE HOWARD, of Elyria, in the county of Lorain and State of Ohio, have invented a new and Improved Breech-Loading Fire-Arm; and I do hereby declare that therfollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification- Figure l being a side view of said, firearm 5 Fig. 2, a view of the under side of the same; Figs. 3 and 4, longitudinal sections in the line o o of Fig. 2, Fig. 5, a transverse section in the line ,e e of Fig. 3, Fig. 6, a side view of the bayonet D and a portion of the barrel C, with which it is connected; and Fig. 7 is a view which more clearly illustrates the manner of connecting the barrel C with the breechpiece B than is shown in the other drawings.

Ihe stoel; A and the barrel C of my improved breech-loading fire-arm are connected with each other by means of a hollow metal` lic breech-piece, B, which contains and conceals from view every portion of the gun-lock with the exception of a portion of the trigger eand the two jointed levers F and G, as represented in the drawings.

The lock of my improved breech-loading gun consists, essentially, of the tubular piston E, the hammer-rod II, the mainspring b, the sear c, the bridle d, the trigger c, the set-trigger g, the set-pin y, and the jointed levers vF and G, the said parts being arranged with each other in the manner represented' in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 4 represents the aforesaid parts of my improved breech-loading gun as being in a proper position for the reception of a loaded cartridge, to be inserted through the opening a in the right-hand side of the front portion of the breech-piece B, and Fig. 3 represents the said parts in the position that they are thrown into by the movement which carries the said cartridge forward into the chamber of the barrel, the said movement also serving the purpose of cooking the gun, ii' desired, preparatory to the instantaneous lining of the same. rllhe solid head o of the tubular piston E receives the recoil of the cartridge at the instant of discharging the same; or, in other ward through holes in the solid head o of the tubular piston E from a valve-plug, q, which is placed within the said piston, and which is so arranged that for the desired distance it has a free longitudinal play within said piston.

The said pins a a occupy such relative positions that when the valve-plug is driven forward by a blow from the head a of the pistonrod H the said pins will strike onv opposite edges of the cartridge in the chamber of the gun, and with sufficient percussion force to explode the fulminating composition in the bottom ofV said cartridge. I sometimes supply the valve-plug q with a central pin, by which I am enabled to use cartridges in my improved rejarm that are furnished with nipples and percussion-caps. rIhe valve-plug q is fitted with such a degree of accuracy on its seat within the tubular piston E as to render it impossiblefor any gas to escape from the chamber' of the fire-arm into the interior of said piston to injure the mainspring b and the other portions of the guirlock. An ear, r, projecting from the under side of the tubular piston E, through the slot c in the under side of the breech-piece B, is pivoted to the inner end of the solid lever F, While the outer end of the U-shaped lever G is pivoted to the ear x, 'which descends from the under side of the front end of said breechpiece, which arrangement enables the requisite sliding movements to be imparted to the said tubular piston, and also enables the said levers to be shut into the closed position shown in Fig. 4. rI`he curved outer end of thelever F forms the triggerguard of my improved rearm. The projection from the inner surface of the lever F, which shuts into the slot c in the under side of the breechpiece B, is of such a shape that when the said lever is in the closed position shown in Fig. 3 the said pro- `means of the screw b.

' jeaion forms a Closely-lifting and a rigid block between the after end of the said slot and the after end of the tubular pistonE; and the settrigger g, the set-pin o, and the sear c of the lock are so arranged with relation to each other and to the cavity Z in the after end of the projection from the inner face of the lever F that during the action of throwing the tubular piston E from the position represented in Fig. 4 to that represented in Fig. 3 the after end of the projection from the inner face of the lever F will strike against the inclined outer end ofV the set-pin y, and force inward the said pin to the position shown in Fig. 4, in which position the head of said pin will bear s'o firmly against the under side of the head of the sear c as to render it impossible to detach the sear from itsv hold upon the hammer-rod-H until after the set-pin has been moved forward by drawing backward the 'set-trigger g, and the said forward movement exerted upon the setpin y will thrust its outer end into the cavity Zin the after end of the inwardly-projecting portion of the lever F, as represented in Fig. 3, and thereby prevent the possibility of the levers F and G being thrown outward by any -force that may be exerted upon the tubular piston E at the instant of discharging a cary tridge in the chamber of the fire-arm, and also prevent the said levers F and G from being accidentally thrown outward from any sudden movement of the nre-arm. It therefore necessarily follows that the set-trigger g must be pressed to its forward position again before the levers F and G can be thrown outward preparatory to reloading the gun. The sear c is located within a recess in the" block t, and works upon a pivot-pin. rlhe said block t is secured in its proper position within the cavity in the after portion of the breech-piece B by rlhe spring-hooks p p, which are combined with the head portion of the tubular .piston E, and which project beyond the same, pass into recesses prepared for them in the butt of the barrel C, as shown in Fig. 3. The said hooks are of such a shape that they will pass over the flange of a metallic cartridge at the moment that the said piston attains the position shown in Fig. 3, and consequently, when the said piston is withdrawn, the metallic cartridge that is grasped by the hooks p p will also be withdrawn into the open space within the aperture ct in the vright side of the breech-piece B.

Near to the butt of the barrel C there is an enlargement, e', thereof, which terminates in abrupt shoulders, and from the under side of which an ear, w, projects, as represented in the drawings. The butt portion of the barrel, which rearwardly projects from the enlargement c of the same, is fitted accurately withlh the mouth of the breech-piece B, and it is securely retained in said connection by means of the loop hf, which is hinged to the ear x, that projects from the under side of the front end of the breech-piece B, and embraces the ear w, that descends from the under side of the enlargement e of the barrel. rIhe set-screw m, which works through a screw-aperture in I the outer extremity of the loop h, enables the said loop to be more securely retained in its holding position.

It will be perceived that the movement of tubular piston E from the position represented in Fig. 4 to that shown in Fig. 3 must ordinarly cause the hammer-rod H to be caught and retained in the cocked position shown in Fig. 3, thev said stoppage being effected by bringing the shoulder on the under side of said hammer-rod in contact with the head of the sear c, the contraction of the mainspring b necessarily following from the continued movement of the tubular piston and the stoppage of the hammer-rod; but if the trigger e be drawn upon with sufficient force to depress the head of the sear c at the same time that the lever F is drawn down to the position shown in Fig. 3, my improved gun can be loaded without cooking the same; I

Vhat I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, .isy 1. Combining the barrel and the stock of my improved fire-arm with each other through the medium of the hollow breech-piece B, which has an oblong opening in the side thereof for the temporary reception of a metallic cartridge; but this I only claim when the said cartridge is driven forwardinto the chamber of the barrel of the fire-arm, and is then provided with an unyielding recoil block, by means of the tubular piston E, and the levers F and G, which are combined with each other and with the hollow breech-piece B, substantially in the manner herein set forth.

2. Opening and closing the lateral aperture in the breech-piece of my improved breechloader by means of the tubular piston E, which fits accurately within the bore of the main compartment of said breech-piece, and is operated therein in a longitudinal direction, substantially in the manner herein set forth.

3. Operating the tubular piston E by means of the levers F and G, in connection with the slot in the under side of the tubular portion of the breechpiece B, substantially in the manner herein set forth.

4. The arrangement of the trigger e, the bridle d, the sear c, and the scar-spring t' with each other and with the hammer-rod H, the mainspring b, the tubular piston E, and the levers F and G, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

5. rlhe arrangement of the set-trigger g and the sliding `pin y with the sear c and the lever F, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.

6. Combining the barrel C with the breechpin B by slipping a portion of the butt of the former within the mouth of the latter, and

p then securing said connection by means of the ears x and w, thehinged loop h., and the setl the said tubular piston, substantially as heresereW m, in the manner herein represented in set forth. r l

and described. The above specification of my new and ini- 7. Combining the toothed and movable proved breech-loading gun signed and witvalve-plug q With the head o of the tubular nessed this 7th day of December, 1861.

piston E, and with the valve-seat Within the SERRE HOWARD. same, in such @manner that zt slight degree of XVitnesses; inward pressure upon said valve-plug Will Z. C. ROBBINS,

produce a perfectly tight joint at that end of G. HOWARD. 

